This weekend weekend I was really looking forward to painting the barn and starting to make it actually look like a shop, I figured I'd be almost finished by Sunday.. how wrong I was ! after painting for two days all I managed was an undercoat on the wood. My frustrated 4 year old daughter had been badgering me all weekend to come and play with her and each time I had to tell her I was busy. In the end she came into the barn and insisted on helping me paint. Now knowing how messy children's painting can get I really didn't fancy the idea but I could no longer bare to see her forlorn little face begging for some company. So I pulled out an old chair and told it was a very important chair and one that I will use to sit in whilst working in the shop. Then clad in her Daddy's old shirt down to her knees she hastily painted away. After 20 minutes she looked like a wise old lady with her paint matted hair and hands, not to mention the floor ! But it was a wonderfully special 20 minutes we spent together. She felt like part of something and I felt good being able to include her and make her feel important. That certainly outweighed any amount of cleaning up I need to do afterwards. So if you come into to shop and see me in the chair you'll know that although not perfectly painted it was perfectly created in a special moment by my little girl.Now all I need to do is teach her how to clean brushes !

Had a fun weekend visiting the Clare Priory craft show, met some lovely people making wonderful things. It's one of my favourite craft shows, really good atmosphere even when it is raining. We also went to to Harrogate trade show to get additional stock orders. I invited two friends so as I could get different ideas and opinions on what to order but it seems all 3 of us had the same tastes.... still, I guess its reassuring....

Second window fitted, and the cladding is half done. When Richard pulled off the old cladding we found a lovely old bottle in very good condition. So I rushed to Ebay to see if we'd found some priceless antique... alas not. Its worth about £5. Still its lovely finding these old things, when we had the end of the house rebuilt we found lots of clay pipes and bottles. But it does make me wonder how they end up behind the walls ??I also had a visit from a lovely lady who as well as displaying her work here in the shop may also be interested in renting one of the other stables as workshop space/studio.. So we'll see where that goes.. Although Richard will be most upset about having to move all his stuff out. Perhaps I can bribe him with a new shed.

New lighting has gone in but we've still to put the ceiling back up, Richard worked really hard fitting new glass to one of the windows and a new frame. Once 7pm came he looked as though he had well and truly given up.... I don't have the heart to tell him he has to do the other one this weekend...